Forbidden and Guilty
by FearlessNights
Summary: The story of Dune and her forbidden kitten, Tiger. Romance, tragedy and gore, with terrible twists thrown into this action packed adventure, come along for the ride!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I only own my made up characters. I don't own Warriors or any of the real characters.**

 **Warnings: Gore, Cursing, Abuse.**

 **Cats Met In This Chapter:**

 **Tigerkit - A mackerel brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes and long black ear tips. Daughter to Dune.**

 **Dune - A sandy she-cat with green eyes, loner. Mother of Tiger. Formerly from BloodClan.**

 **Spider - A long-legged black tom with amber eyes, loner. From BloodClan.**

 **Snake - A dark brown mottled tabby she-cat with grotesque green eyes, loner. From BloodClan.**

 **Badger - A muscled black and white tomcat with amber eyes, loner. From BloodClan.**

 **~X~**

 _A sand colored she-cat trekked down the stone alleyways, flinching as the screech of a monster flooded her sensitive ears. She would not stop for anything. Her precious cargo, a kit, barely a moon old, squealed as she ducked down to partially cover her ears from the roar of the Thunderpath. The kitten's eyes opened only yesterday, and the small she-kit looked around from her mothers jaws, unaware of the dark, enormous world that surrounded her._

 _"I'm sorry, baby, but we need to hurry." The she-cat's name was Dune, unknowingly sister to Sasha. She had successfully escaped from BloodClan, and given her kits to RiverClan, where they had been accepted. Now that she had given birth, it was her turn to run the gauntlet to the forest. Scourge was dead, it was barely a moon since the battle, and grief still struck her when she thought of Tiger's father. Tigerstar had been stuck down by Scourge, for commanding BloodClan to attack upon the Clan-Cats without his permission. She was expected to fight for him after he had killed her mate! Never._

 _Heavily pregnant, she snuck out from the battle, and proceeded to immediately go into labour. Giving birth on her own had been hard, but it was worth it. The kitten she now held tightly in her jaws would be a reminder of this for the rest of her life. Looking behind her and swiveling her ears around, she ducked down underneath a large green dumpster as three harsh voices sounded from the other side of the alley. Tigerkit squealed in surprise, and the sandy she-cat pressed her paws comfortingly against the fluffy she-kit's muzzle, and she calmed a little. Hopefully the stench from the dumpster would mask her scent._

 _"Where would the bitch go, then?" One of them questioned, snarling in hatred as he thought about her. Dune knew he was talking about her. She had left a day ago, but having lived in the middle of the city, it had taken her all day to reach the outskirts, and the forest had finally come into view when the sun had set. It was now nearing midnight, and she had to stay silent. If they found her, they would most likely kill Tiger, and almost certainly Dune herself. No cat was allowed to leave BloodClan, and since Scourge's death, things had escalated quickly. Most cats ran from the battle and never turned back once the death of Scourge had been realised. She had done so before, and the current leader, Stitch, had seen her light colored tail leave just as the war had begun. Once the BloodClan cats had fled the clearing, he had issued a hunting party to find her, and kill her._

 _Snapping out of her reverie as the cats drew near, she heard again the voice of Spider, a whiny long legged black tom. "Can't we just go back? It's getting cold, and we've been out her all day." A small scuffle broke out after this, ending with a yelp and a growl. "Okay, we'll carry on." The tom agreed. She saw out of the corner of her eyes one black and white paw, and another dark brown paw. Great. Stitch had sent out the best trackers for her. Badger and Snake had accompanied Spider, and they were just barely a few mousetails from her position._

 _"No, I agree, Spider." The deep masculine voice of Snake had sounded out, and it took all of the she-cat's bravery to not cry out in terror. "We should go back." There was a debate after that, ending with Badger sulkily agreeing to trek back to the main BloodClan camp after a night of searching. She could no longer see the three toms, but their pawsteps grew quieter and quieter untill they could not be heard at all. Finally, the sandy she-cat crawled out from underneath the dumpster and sighed in relief, before picking Tiger up again and running silently into the forest._

 _She was now deep into the forest, contemplating what Clan to take her to. She did not intend to send her to the Clan her unknown sister had chosen, her kit, admittedly, had someone there, though she thought that she would not fit in there. She did not want to send her to the cats of darkness, either, fearing her daughter would become corrupted, and would not understand love or happiness. No, she would take her to her fathers' birth Clan. They were loyal and compassionate, and hopefully, they would accept her for who she was._

 _Dune did not know where she was going to go after Tiger had joined ThunderClan, she just hoped that she was happy in the Clan. Maybe she could join also. Yeah. She'd ask, and if they said no, she would... Shaking her head, she told herself she'd worry about that when the time came. Unfortunately, she'd have to make that decision sooner than she'd think. She tilted her head and could hear that this Clan were still awake, or at least some of the members were, as she hesitantly stepped closer to a ravine that smelled of several cats, four large cats raced up the steep rocks and began to leap at her before realizing she had a kitten in her jaws, therefore couldn't speak. She set Tiger down on the soft green grass and curled her tail around her protectively._

 _"What are you doing on our territory?" A dark brown tabby asked, curious yet defensive, as the she-cat had gotten into the heart of the territory without getting caught; amazingly. The three other cats with him were a dark grey longhair with amber eyes, a green eyed tom with a fiery pelt, and a black and white she-cat. The ginger tom held himself differently than the others, more calmly interested in the sandy she-cat than angry. That's what she wanted Tiger to be like. Realizing she'd been asked a question, she nodded down to the mackerel tabby she-kit and smiled._

 _"I wish for Tiger to join your Clan, and if possible, me also." The brown tabby tom nodded and stepped back, and looked to the grey and ginger toms to answer her question. The ginger tom stepped forward, dipping his head to her in respect before beginning to answer her question. "Does the kit carry any traits to any cats in here? Do you?" He held his precision green gaze on her, eyes flickering down to Tiger before resting his gaze back on Dune. The she-cat swallowed hard before answering._

 _"Tiger is... Tiger is Tigerstar's daughter." Recognition flickered in the ginger tom's green orbs, and something else, before they quickly retained the same curious look. The dark brown tabby however, had a different reaction altogether. He took a step back and peered at Tiger worriedly. She glared at him with her dark green eyes and he retracted his gaze from her kit and introduced all of them._

 _"I'm Brambleclaw, son of Tigerstar." It was now Dune's turn to act surprised. She nodded in respect, a smile coming to her muzzle. He smiled a little, too, and flicked his tail towards the ginger tom. "This is Firestar, leader of ThunderClan. Him and Tigerstar didn't really... get along." She looked again to Firestar, nodding in respect, but flicking her gaze back to Brambleclaw in confusion. "You'll hear about it." He dismissed it quickly, simply nodding to the grey longhair tom next. "This is Greystripe, deputy of ThunderClan." She smiled and nodded to him, in which he waved his tail in a friendly manner, glancing down at Tiger before nodding. "And this is Swiftcry, a warrior like me." The black and white she-cat nodded, but kept flicking her gaze down to Tiger, so Dune was forced to shelter her kit from the unwanted attention. She still nodded to the warrior, however. Swiftcry nodded too, and took a step back. She turned to Brambleclaw as he began to speak again._

 _"You see, it won't be easy for the Clan to accept Tiger, because of the history her father has with the Clan. Yes, I got hate aswell. I was called unimaginable things, but hopefully if you're in the Clan, it'll be easier for Tiger to get used to the names, and just ignore them, like I did." He turned to Firestar, a pleading gaze in his amber eyes as he turned to his leader. The fiery tom nodded warmly to Dune. "Welcome to ThunderClan. We will keep Tiger's name, though she will now be named Tigerkit. We will hold your warrior ceremony after you have recovered from your ordeal." He looked down at her, and so did Dune, invesigating her own body, and realized what he was talking about. She was starving, and her ribs were poking through her thin fur. A joyous smile grew on her muzzle, and she picked up Tigerkit before carefully traversing the ravine rocks and entering the camp. She was a part of ThunderClan, and more importantly, so was Tigerkit._

 **~X~**

 **So there you go! Prologue finished, I hope you like this story, as it unfolds into awesomeness. Leave a review, it makes Dune and Tigerkit happy, and I'll see you for Chapter 1!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! Hope you liked the prologue :3 Here comes chapter one!**

 **Cats Met In This Chapter:**

 **Cloverpetal - A harsh light brown she-cat with white appendages and green eyes. Mother to Juniperkit and Poppykit.**

 **Juniperkit - A reddish-auburn she-kit with forest green eyes and black appendages. Daughter of Cloverpetal.**

 **Poppykit - A black she-kit with speckles of white, and ice blue eyes. Daughter of Cloverpetal.**

 **Islandbreeze - A sand-gold she-cat with white spots and amber eyes. Mother of Willowkit.**

 **Willowkit - A golden brown she-kit with ginger spots and a white muzzle. Daughter of Islandbreeze.**

 **Flamecharge** **-** **A muscular ginger tomcat with fiery amber eyes.**

 **Bronzedpaw - A golden she cat with a mixed variation of ginger and brown, with green eyes.**

 **~X~**

 _Walking into the camp, guarded by thick brambles and thorns, the few cats that were still awake turned towards Dune and Tigerkit, gazes curious... and sympathetic. She smiled at them, noticing a blazing red tomcat that Firestar pointed out to be Flamecharge, one of the more aggressive of the warriors. He was padding over to a small den overshadowed by ferns and ivy, with a tree stump nearby, calling gruffly for a 'Bronzedpaw' to wake up. She turned questioningly to her new leader, and he explained that Bronzedpaw was an apprentice, which meant that the last part of her name ended with 'paw'. Tigerkit was a kitten, so she took the suffix 'kit'. Warriors have their suffixes chosen by the leader, as in Firestar, like Flamecharge. Every name is supposed to mean something to the cats' personality; Dune could see that he got his name because of his flaming ginger pelt, though it wasn't as dark a red as Flamecharge's scorched fur. Soon enough, Bronzedpaw strode tiredly out of the den, and for the brief time that the den was open, Dune could see a few other apprentices sleeping soundly in their nests. It seemed pretty cozy in there, and she was proud to think of her daughter growing up to be an apprentice. Another sandy colored she-cat brushed up against the leader, and looked at Dune before introducing herself._

 _"I'm Sandstorm, nice to meet you, Dune. And Tigerkit." She added as the kitten shuffled around in her mother's jaws to find out where the other female voice was coming from. It seemed, although she had only been here little than an hour - judging by the moon - the whole camp knew of her and her daughter's arrival. Dune nodded respectfully, and Sandstorm smiled and whispered a few quiet words into Firestar's ear before batting him on the head affectionately. "Idiot." She meowed, before padding over to walk by Dune as they neared the Nursery, where she and Tigerkit would stay until she was six moons old, as she was informed by Firestar that was the age needed for Tigerkit to take the name Tigerpaw and become an apprentice, and sleep and train and make her mother proud. Smiling already, she turned to Sandstorm as they stopped by the Nursery while Greystripe and Brambleclaw went inside to make a nest for her and Tigerkit to sleep in. They sat down, and Dune carefully lay Tigerkit down on the camp floor, which was surprisingly soft and sandy; easy for the mackerel she-kit to play around in._

 _"So, Dune, how did you find us?" Sandstorm asked, interested in the loners' background and past. Dune was already beginning to feel uncomfortable, and she licked in between Tigerkit's soft ears to comfort herself. "I was part of BloodClan while I was pregnant, though I slipped away before the fight started. I gave birth, and then the new leader of BloodClan," She stopped as Sandstorms eyes widened, and Dune realized what was wrong, and hastily added, "Don't worry, Stitch has nothing on Scourge, and there's only around ten of them left, anyway." Once Sandstorm had relaxed slightly, she carried on with her story. "Then, once I'd given birth, Stitch ordered three of his remaining members to hunt me down and kill me. I was almost close to being caught, but I got away and now I'm here." Sandstorm rested her tail on my shoulder comfortingly, and Dune noticed for the first time that Greystripe, Firestar and Brambleclaw were listening intently, having made sure that her and Tigerkit were safe and comfortable by making her and her kitten a fluffy nest._

 _"Scourge's members are defeated?" Firestar asked, to confirm the information, probably to make sure that there was no threat to his Clan now. Dune nodded, and suppressed a yawn. Greystripe noticed and looked over at the fresh-kill pile, wanting the mother to eat before she slept. Nodding, Dune picked up Tigerkit and moved into the Nursery, while Brambleclaw picked out a juicy squirrel for her and entered the Nursery to set the prey down close enough for the queen to eat it, then the dark brown tabby backed out of the den, and there was silence. Taking a massive mouthful of the furry squirrel, her mouth watered as she chewed, the flavours of the the forest singing with the taste of the meat. A harsh sounding voice boomed from the other side of the den, and she looked up, surprised._

 _"What're you doing here?" A light brown tabby she-cat growled at her, and she could see in the dim light that there were two kits suckling at the queen's teats, just as Tigerkit was doing at hers. Another, softer voice called from closer to her; "Shush, Cloverpetal, Dune is new. She needs to eat and rest." The nicer sounding she-cat had been woken up by the commotion of Greystripe and Brambleclaw hastily trying to sort out a comfortable nest for her. Surprisingly, they had done a good job, and Dune was almost tempted to sleep as soon as she had settled in to the nest. But she knew that she needed to eat to keep producing milk for her kitten. She smiled thankfully at a golden she-cat with one kitten sleeping in her nest, who introduced herself as Islandbreeze while Dune ate. She looked up as she swallowed the last bite of the squirrel, leaving the bones of the prey on the floor, which the golden she-cat promptly got out of her nest and cleared up herself, which took Dune by surprise._

 _"Thank you." Dune meowed quietly, snoring had started on the other corner of the side of the den. Islandbreeze rolled her eyes, laughing a little. "Don't mind her, she's a little grouchy." Grinning, Dune settled down into her comfy nest, stifling a yawn again, as Tigerkit detached herself fro/*m her teat and snuggled down in Dune's chest fur, full up for the day. "Goodnight." Islandbreeze whispered, knowing that Dune had had a long trek, and needed to sleep. "Goodnight." Dune replied, and the waves of sleep crashed over her, sending her into her dreams in a matter of seconds._

 _She woke in the Nursery to find Tigerkit gone. Sitting up instantly, Dune looked around frantically for her kitten, searching in Islandbreeze's nest, as well as the snoring Cloverpetal's. There was no sign of her baby, and she began to panic, running out into the clearing and yowling a distress call. Most of the warriors in the camp turned and looked at her. "My baby! She's gone!" She screamed in fear, racing over to the sides of the clearing and searching for Tigerkit, to see if she'd waddled slowly over to the side of the camp to explore. She wasn't there. Whimpering worriedly, Greystripe ran over to Dune and comforted her, murmuring sweet, kind words into the sandy she-cat's ear. She walked slowly back into the Nursery, after the deputy had promised that the camp would be looking for Tigerkit. Dune itched to go and explore, but what if her daughter was somewhere near? She double and triple checked the Nursery, the nests, and the walls. Nothing, not even a fresh scent. Dune worked herself up into a nervous fit, and Islandbreeze had woken up, making the terrified she-cat lie down, and coaxed her to light-sleep, and the camp fell away into the waves of darkness once again._

 _Gasping for breath, Dune pulled herself out of her most recent nightmare, cuddling the sleeping ball of mackerel fur tucked up against her, before looking around the slowly brightening Nursery, just being able to see through the lichen-covered entrance as the sun arrived, warming the horizon. Smiling to herself, Dune settled back down in her nest and fell quickly asleep, no dreams disturbing her this time._

 _Waking up after a few good hours of sleep, Islandbreeze waved at Dune with her tail, smiling broadly. "Good sleep?" She asked politely. "Kind of, thanks." Dune replied. It was immensely better than sleeping on the streets like she used to while she was a member of BloodClan, but she still had her nightmares over losing Tigerkit. Relief shined in the sandy she-cat's eyes as she drifted her gaze down to her belly and found the brown she-cat waddling over to her belly to feed. "I'm guessing no-cat has told you about the other Clans, our territories, and such?" Islandbreeze guessed by the confused and surprised look on Dune's face that she was correct. Dune did know of two other Clans, maybe not their names, but she knew them at least. Firestar had partially explained the rank system, and she understood the process from kitten to apprentice and warrior. Other than that, that was it._

 _"Well, I'll explain it now, while your little one is feeding. There are five Clans. ThunderClan - that's us - are meant to be brave, and noble, always knowing whether to do the right thing or not. We hunt in the forests, and kill squirrels, mice and birds. You'll be learning how to do that once Tigerkit has weaned enough to become an apprentice." She took a pause to let the sandy she-cat take in the information, and Dune nodded in understanding. When she got her warrior name, she'd be loyal and willing to do the right thing for her Clan, hu_ _nting and fighting for it. She nodded to Islandbreeze as a signal to carry on._

 _"_ _Opposite_ _to us, is the Thunderpath, and ShadowClan. They are hunters of the night, mischievous and always wanting a fight. They hunt in marshes and pines, and kill frogs, birds and mice." Dune had not wanted Tigerkit to grow up in ShadowClan, now she knew the name of the night-hunters. They sounded mistrusting and menacing, and Dune wanted no part of them at all. She bristled uncomfortably, and Islandbreeze got the impression she ShadowClan were not to be trusted._

 _"_ _Diagonally across_ _from us is WindClan, certainly the most skittish of the clans, hunting mainly hares and mice and living on the moorland. They are overwhelmingly fast, however, do not underestimate their lean bodies and call them weak." WindClan sounded nicer than ShadowClan, but Dune didn't think that Tigerkit was that jumpy to be at home chasing rabbits across the barren moorland._

 _"To the west of us, there is RiverClan. They are certainly the most knowledgeable of the Clans, and they eat mainly fish from the river that runs through their territory, earning them their name. They are wise, but arrogant, do not cross them in battle." When Dune had been wandering through the territory trying to find the ThunderClan camp, she had heard the roar of the river from afar, and quickly evaded it, afraid that Tigerkit would drown._

 _"The final Clan is StarClan. They live in the stars, watching over us at all times. When you die, you'll become a member of StarClan. Leaders get granted nine lives from these starry cats, and when they die, they get healed of the wound that would have killed them, and they come back with one less life. Medicine cats have the ability to communicate with StarClan, and they can interpret the prophecies our ancestors give us." Dune's mind span with information, trying to contain it all. She took in all of it, but she didn't know if she could remember it all._

 _Islandbreeze smiled. "Of course, it's going to take time until you can remember all of this, but there are rules here, too. We must all obey the warrior code, you'll learn about it when you get your warrior ceremony." Dune nodded, and stretched as Tigerkit loosened her grip and plucked off of her teat, so the sandy she-cat stood up and shook herself. Islandbreeze's kit was still asleep, so the mother also got up and stretched. "Come into the clearing, I'll show you all of the dens." Dune obliged, and after making sure Tigerkit was comfortable, left the Nursery and walked into the camp with Islandbreeze._

 _The sandy she cat had arrived at the ThunderClan camp at midnight, so i_ _t was a shock to see the Clan bustling about in the main clearing at sun-high, and Dune was surprised to see the bramble-protected camp look so beautiful in the day. There was a fallen tree opposite the Nursery she was staying in, and moss and ivy were climbingin and out of it with their green claws, obscuring the entrance neatly. There was a massive tall rock in the parallel direction from where Dune was standing, and Firestar lazily strolled out of a hole underneath it, presumably that's where the leader slept._

 _The blazing ginger tom sensed someone looking at him and turned to walk towards Islandbreeze and her. "Good morning!" He said in a chipper meow, basking in the green-leaf heat. Dune smiled mewed the same, thanking him for the umpteenth time for letting her and Tigerkit stay. The tom held up a ginger paw, stopping her flow of 'thank you's and 'we're grateful's that came spilling out of her mouth again. "We're honored to have you in our ranks, Dune." The leader turned to Islandbreeze, flicking his tail towards the Nursery. "How's Willlowkit?" Islandbreeze's face lit up in delight like the sun's rays on a green-leaf day, much like this one. "She's good! Healthy, almost ready to become an apprentice." Firestar chuckled at the queen's pride, and turned his green gaze towards the cloudless sky, thoughtful. "Do you have any suggestions for a mentor?" He asked, contemplating all of his warriors._

 _Dune, however, was thoroughly confused. "What's a mentor?" She asked, wanting to know if she needed one. Firestar looked down, and saw Dune's bewildered face, and he chuckled to himself. "Nothing you need to worry about. Tigerkit will get one when she becomes an apprentice, he or she will help them train, and become good hunters, fighters, and excellent at tracking on the forest floor." Dune nodded, understanding. The Clans sure had some confusing ways to train, but if her daughter needed a mentor, she'd happily oblige._

 _"But.. won't I need, like a half-mentor to teach me the rules, like the warrior code?" She glanced over at Islandbreeze as she said that, and the golden she-cat blushed a little, looking at Firestar with pleading eyes. The ginger tom caught on, and nodded with a grin on his face, showing his inner youth. If Dune was honest, Firestar looked a little young to be a leader, but she wasn't going to judge this. "When both of your kittens have become apprentices', Islandbreeze will teach you the way of the Clans. Right now however, you'll be limited to staying in camp, neither of you should be outside of the clearing because of your kittens." Both nodded at that, extremely protective of their kits. Islandbreeze almost leaped into the air with joy, and Dune could tell that the two would be fast friends._

 _Suddenly, a squealing from inside the Nursery alerted the two queens, and they raced towards their den, meowing a quick goodbye to Firestar before entering the Nursery, where the squealing continued._

 _"Die, you bitch!" A harsh snarl sounded from the den..._


	3. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone! Chapter Two, here we gooo!**

 **Cats Met In This Chapter:**

 **None new.**

 **~X~**

 _"Die you bitch!" A harsh snarl sounded from the den..._

 _The two queens froze in horror as the harsh tang of blood hit their noses. Dune noticeably steeled herself and barrelled into the den before once again hesitating, shocked at the scene in front of her. Then blind rage took over her and she swiped with claws unsheathed at the cat torturing her daughter. Her clawed paw collided with Cloverpetal's maw, knocking her off of her paws and onto the bloodied floor. Tigerkit cried out in pain at the fresh wounds covering her body, and Dune snarled with anger, leaping on top of the brown she-cat and pummeling her into the ground. She ignored the queen's attempts to get her off, as Cloverpetal swiped at her with her hind legs in a vain attempt to bat Dune off of her._

 _Suddenly a great force pulled her away from the other queen, and she looked up to see Firestar hauling her away by the scruff of her neck. Instantly the sandy she-cat went limp, although anger still burned in her eyes. She snarled a little at the thought of Cloverpetal, and then she remembered Tigerkit, and she scrambled up onto her feet and tried to break free of Firestar's grip to reach her kitten. She looked back at him, confused and angry, and tried again to escape the fiery tom's grasp._

 _Just then, Islandbreeze struggled back into the clearing, Willowkit padding cautiously behind her with wide blue eyes. Dune gasped in shock and Firestar did not stop her from dashing towards what her friend held limply in her jaws. "No!" The sandy queen cried out, and she took Tigerkit's limp body from Islandbreeze, caressing it before picking her up gently and carrying her to the medicine cat's den, where Cinderpelt waited for her, and as soon as the queen reached the den Cinderpelt took Tigerkit in her jaws, carrying her in sight of Dune at all times. Cats were staring at her and Islandbreeze the whole time, and Dune was pretty sure she had Cloverpetal's blood on her pelt, but she didn't care. Hurrying down into the musty smelling den, she watched as Cinderpelt hobbled around the different corners of the area, collecting every different sized herb under the sun to try and help her daughter. Dune simply cooed caressing words into Tigerkit's ear as Cinderpelt set to work. A faint screech of rage sounded from outside the den, followed shortly by a, "She shouldn't be here!" and then the camp fell silent._

 _Cinderpelt hurried around the den, and once she was certain that Tigerkit was able to breathe without serious pain, she set Dune up a nest for her to sleep in, but she would not allow her to sleep near Tigerkit because of the risk of her not being able to get to the kitten if something went wrong. Despite the protests, Dune agreed eventually, and curled up in her nest, staring at her daughter until she felt drowsiness overcome her._

 **~X~**

 _She tentatively opened her large amber eyes, sucking in a huge breath before collapsing back down into her soft nest. She felt around in the cozy bed, and realised she could not feel her mothers' fur next to hers. Blinking rapidly, she tried desperately to subdue the tears threatening to spill, and the mackerel tabby she-kit cried out in a long, pitiful wail. "Momma!" She cried, and instantly a large grey cat appeared from a few paw steps away in another nest, calming her down with gentle 'shh's, leaning down onto her body and pressing her face to her. The kitten hissed defensively and swiped at the grey she-cat with her immature claws, scratching her a little. The grey cat moved away from her and looked into her eyes, blue meeting amber for the first time. "You're not my momma." The mackerel kitten hissed, and prepared to swipe at the cat again. As quick as lightning, the she-cat held her soft paw over the kitten, purring gently._

 _"No, little one, I'm not. She's coming, though." The words had barely left her mouth before a familiar sandy colored pelt appeared behind her, and the she-kit rolled onto her side and cried out in joy, her light, fluffy belly fur sticking up in odd places from her sleep. "Momma!" She meowed happily, though she hissed afterwards, trying to twist around to see what had caused her pain. The grey she-cat steadied the kitten, making her stay still. "Don't move onto your side, Tigerkit, it'll hurt." Tigerkit looked up at the grey cat and nodded, curiously wondering what the problem was. Partially ignoring the she-cat's words, the mackerel she-kit turned and gasped at her shoulder. The fur had been ripped away from the flesh, creating a half-moon shape on the apex of her shoulder. Now that she had seen the wound, the kitten turned towards her mother, tears welling up in her fiery eyes. Just before the tears spilled, her mother rushed forwards, and quietened her cries, curling up protectively around Tigerkit, although leaving her shoulder untouched. She looked up at her mothers green eyes as she nodded to the grey cat standing awkwardly nearby._

 _The she-cat instantly rushed off, returning with a wad of sticky white web on her ash-like paw. Dabbing a little onto the kitten's shoulder, she explained what she was doing to her mother and Tigerkit as the kitten flinched at the pain. "This is cobweb, it'll stop the bleeding a little. Once this is on, I'll fetch some herbs." She turned away as all of the cobweb had been applied to her shoulder, and Tigerkit released the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. The grey cat reappeared with two brightly colored plant parts in her mouth. She set the green one down and began to chew up the yellow one. Once it had been reduced a fine pulp, she spat it out and mixed in the green plant to it. "The yellow is marigold, Tigerkit, this'll help the wound with healing, and will stop infections. The green is burnet, and it'll help it heal faster." She kept looking up at her mother during her talking, and Dune kept nodding, as if allowing the grey cat to help her. Tigerkit was confused at first, but soon caught on once she'd stopped staring at an ant crawling stealthily across the stone floor. Adding a very certain, strong nod of her own to make sure the grey cat knew she was following, she steeled herself as her paw drew nearer. The grey cat pressed the herbs to her shoulder but - surprisingly - it felt soothing, as if she'd only pressed cool water to her burning flesh. Smiling contentedly, she looked up at her mother and she licked in between her ears affectionately. Soon, the kitten felt sleepy, and Tigerkit purred quietly before resting her head on her paws and falling asleep._

 _The next few days were a blur. In the midst of her waking up and going back to sleep, the grey cat was still continuously applying herbs to her shoulder, making her grit her teeth in pain and cry our sometimes when the original herbs got too much to handle, as they were making the flesh around it perpetually sore from the changing of cobwebs and other herbs. In between these harsh days, however, the grey she-cat had offered her name. "Cinderpelt." She had said, with herbs in her mouth she was preparing to put onto her wound. In the end, the ash colored cat had taken to giving the kitten poppy seeds to help her sleep for when she had finished with changing herbs and such. She needed Tigerkit awake so that she knew that the kitten could feel pain, or at least flinch, in the places that she tested her. Only afterwards was she allowed a small black seed to send her to sleep, though recently she'd been having nightmares about her predicament. She was dreaming that Cloverpetal would run into the medicine cats den and finish what she started, or that when she woke up there was no-cat there to hear her, and she slowly starved to death, or that the pain got so unbearable in her shoulder that she died from her agony._

 _Waking up again, Tigerkit found that she felt much better. Her shoulder felt soothed from the herbs, and she looked up to see her mother still sleeping soundly beside her. The warmth from her sandy pelt make the mackerel she-kit begin to feel sleepy again. Shaking her fluffy head, she was determined to stay awake this time. She looked down at her herb-covered shoulder and sighed gently. She decided that she would try to move the shoulder, to exercise it and get the stiffness out of it. Wincing as she attempted to_ _maneuver the muscle, she stubbornly tried again, and cried out a little at the force it took to move it. Instantly Cinderpelt was there, by her side in a matter of seconds._

 _"What're you trying to do, Tigerkit?" She asked curiously, though the kitten regarded the question as a scolding. She flattened her ears and hissed, amber eyes narrowing coldly. Dune immediately woke up, looked around and sheltered her kitten protectively. "What are you doing, Tigerkit?" She asked, more gentle than the grey cat. Tigerkit smiled up at her mother and looked at her shoulder. "I'm just tryna' move it Momma." She replied simply, returning to her determination in trying to edge her shoulder back into a comfortable position. The grey cat smirked and let out a mrrow of amusement. "Would you like to try walking, Tigerkit?" Cinderpelt asked in the same tone as Dune's. The mackerel tabby nodded quickly and tried to stand up, failing a couple of times, but eventually making it onto all four of her paws, though her left foreleg was wobbling slightly under the pressure._

 _Smiling broadly at the fact she was able to stand up, Tigerkit eagerly took a step forward and immediately fell down again. Grunting with the impact, the kitten tried to stand back up again, and - once again - it took her a few tries for her to get back up onto her paws. Her ears lay flat with embarrassment. Taking a deep breath, she placed her injured leg infront of her, bracing it with the diagonal hind leg, and then repeated it with her other leg, even though it didn't hurt, the kitten was cautious about falling over again. After a couple more steps, she had worked herself into a rhythm where she could quicken her pace into a quick stride, but it hurt when she tried to run - besides the fact that she was a kitten, so she had to waddle anyway. Dune purred in encouragement, and Tigerkit waddled quickly over to her, and in praise she nuzzled her uninjured shoulder. Purring back, she waddled in front of Cinderpelt, proving she could walk confidently. Cinderpelt nodded, though her mind was on something else._

 _Feeling sleepy, Tigerkit just managed to waddle herself to her nest before she collapsed into a heap of dreams._

 **~X~**

 _Cinderpelt turned to Dune as Tigerkit crashed out in the mossy nest a few paw steps away from the two. "Hey, Dune, I think I need to tell you something.. You see, Tigerkit will... She'll erm... She-" Dune - annoyed very easily - cut off the mumbling medicine cat and rolled her eyes. "Cut the crap, Cinderpelt, what is it?" The ash grey cat smiled awkwardly, relieved that at least one of the two she-cats could hurry the conversation along. "Tigerkit will be able to walk, but she'll have a limp, like me. Not nearly as severe, but it'll be there. I'm thinking that she should become my apprentice." She ended, with a worried glance at Dune as if to say sorry. Dune nodded slowly. It wasn't uncommon for cats in BloodClan to have a limp, but this was ThunderClan, and it was probably a major implication in their society._ _She nodded to the first part of her speech, but was concerned for the other half._

 _She didn't understand why Tigerkit had to become a medicine cat apprentice because of her limp, but maybe it had something to do with the fifth Clan, StarClan. Maybe, as Islandbreeze had said, Cinderpelt had recieved a message from the ancient Clan, telling her that her daughter had to become an apprentice to her. Because of this, she couldn't say no to her. Dune nodded quickly, and relief flooded the grey she-cats eyes as she rushed forward and pressed her muzzle to Dune's shoulder. The mother relaxed into the medicine cat's embrace, and sighed. "If this is what StarClan wants, they can get it." She whispered into Cinderpelt's ash colored ear. The she-cat nodded, and whispered back into Dune's ear, "This is what they want, trust me."_

 **There you go! Tigerkit's gonna be a medicine cat apprentice! Be happy! Leave a review, it'll make Tigerkit and Dune happier, and be ready for Chapter 3!**


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